Great Western Coffee Shop

Acceptable reasons for pulling the communication cord - to stop an HST on Hayle viaduct expecting it to reverse to the platform as you couldn't (allegedly) open the door when the train was stopped at the platform.

I felt a bit sick when it happened assuming it was the driver doing the braking and someone had been hit.

.....or just not paying any attention when the announcement TELLS you only certain doors will be able to be opened due to the short platform!!

Reminds me of a time I was travelling on the Cotswold line (on a Saturday morning, in a train that seemed to have approximately 90% tweed-wearing crusties on board, but that's beside the point). We were on an Adelante, and initially heard an announcement asking the TM to contact the driver. A minute or so later the TM made a slighly peevish announcement saying "please could all passengers note that you flush the toilets on this train by pushing the button marked 'flush', and not by pulling the handle marked 'alarm'?"! At least on the Adelantes it's not an immediate brake application like the HSTs, so we didn't come to a shuddering halt in the Oxfordshire countryside.

I think one problem is that non-regular passenegrs don't know about the short platforms in Cornwall.  I was on the down Riviera a couple of weeks ago - in coach H at the back - and the PA was very quiet.  The Train Manager didn't walk down the train after Plymouth and relied on a a sinlge announcement over the PA before each station.  There were 2 businessmen going to Redruth who didn't hear the PA about walking forward to coaches A-F (or whatever), and it was only because another passenger who saw them standing in the vestibule in coach H got up and advised them to walk forward that they did so.

I'm not condoning pulling the cord for a missed stop -after all St Erth is only 3 minutes after Hayle - but maybe the TM could have done more to prevent the siutaion arising.

There is at least one HST set where the PA in first is very ropey, yet interestingly it's fine in standard. (I was on it last night, and  an infrequent traveller would have had no idea that they had to move forward.) Of course, the SDO announcements are more relevant for pax in 1st who will always be off the end of the platform, so this set's deficiency is just asking for someone to miss their stop. Though shouldn't the TM look out for people trying to open doors that aren't on the platform?     

Welcome to the forum, Gordon.

I'm not expressing an opinion as to whether or not it was a valid pull, but if the passengers are irregular and don't know that the platforms are short, they probably don't know it's just 3 minutes to St Erth either  :-\

[Though shouldn't the TM look out for people trying to open doors that aren't on the platform?    
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Well that leads on to a related issue which I suppose is off topic.  We were about 12 late from Plymouth and I had a 13 minute connection at St Erth, so I was watching the timekeeping. First stop at Liskeard was a full 3 minutes!! Maybe there were people there in the wrong coach and hanging out of locked doors (is it a short platform?).  Most other station stops were 90 seconds or more, just for a few people getting off.  It felt like the Driver was going hard to make up time, then we let it all go with long station times.

I made the connection OK.  Seems timetable is well padded west of Truro.

I'm sure it would help if the TM checked tickets after Plymouth and reminded those who needed reminding that they would need to walk forward.  Then we would have happy passengers and better timekeeping.

I was on a HST stopping at St Germans and the TM said only coaches A-D would b unlocked. (despite being big enough for 6 coaches at least!) I'd be in a bit of a rush if i was in H wanted to get off!

Stations with short platforms are highlighted in the timetable and on the carriage destination stickers.

didn't they also used to be highlighted on the PISes too?

aah.. I always wondered why Maidenhead was higlighted on those stickers.. Do you have to stop and have a good read of them then to work out why or is it just me?  ;D :D

Also, and it's something I've mentioned before.. When the annoucement comes over the train tannoy that only coaches A to F (or whatever) are ones you can only get off for a certain station. And if you're standing (squashed) in the door area.. You have no idea what carriage you are in as there are no signs.. I've worked it out now.. Get on the middle of the train and there shouldn't be problems.. What about the occasional traveller though...

Although annoying, this is something I like about Southern's announcements:
"Welcome aboard the Southern service to Southampton Central and Bongnor Regis, calling at ....  This train will divide at Horsham, coaches 1-4 will continue to Southampton Central, coaches 5-8 will continue to Bognor Regis.  This is coach 2 of 8."
Then a reminder after each station announcement: "This is coach 2 of 8."

St Germans is Front 4 on the down and Rear 5 on the up...it doesnt matter how big the platform might be ,these are the designated coaches which can safely be unlocked at this station and this is decided by FGW Competance Management

Just to fill in a few details - the TM on leaving Plymouth gave a full announcement of short platforms and branch connections - he further announced arrival at all stations and repeated the 'short' warnings plus indicating in which direction the open doors would be.

At Hayle we were platformed with the 'cord puller' who had a luggage trolley that didn't fit the aisle - after stopping the train on the viaduct he said the door wouldn't open and stood by the door expecting the train to reverse for him - the TM (incredibly reasonably) said he would get him out of the rear carriage which was still platformed - 'cord puller' couldn't get down the aisle so the TM gave RA - 'puller' wasn't at all apologetic and made quite a fuss on the way to St Erth where a car was already waiting for him !!

Luckily the HST wasn't going any speed but it still stopped pretty quick and nobody fell over.   

One hopes that the the TM took the details of this 'cord puller' so that a prosecution can be made for 'improper use' of the passcom.

I story to demonstrate that sometimes cord-pullers get their just desserts.

Many years ago leaving Edinburgh with GNER.  A goup of 5 very drunken rugby fans were on board returning to their digs at Berwick.  Much fussing with luggage resulted in them missing their stop,  Pass Com pulled and when TM accounced (in a firm and serious voice) something like "would the person you pulled the alarm make themselves known to me as I pass through the train", they activated the emergency door release and exited the train onto the oposite track !! They then stubled along most of the length of our train with their oversized lugage.  Most of our train were watching them by this time and I was mighty releaved that they didn't get squashed by another train and strangely statisfied to watch them stumble up the platform ramp at Berwick to be met by two policemen waiting calmly at the top of the ramp.  IIRC we even  made it to KX more or less on time.

If only they'd turn off the coach numbering stuff once they've done the split though - that would be a major improvement...

Paul

Train driver forgot to stop at Didcot Parkway station

Rail operator First Great Western has apologised to passengers after a train driver forgot to stop at Didcot Parkway on Wednesday night.

Dozens of passengers were affected by the mistake which meant they had to wait 30 minutes at Swindon station before returning to Didcot.

Rest of story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/8564357.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/8564357.stm)

Interesting one that, as down trains booked to call at Didcot are checked down by signals on the approach to the station as a reminder to the driver to stop.

Perhaps the signaller forgot to follow this protocol and set the route through the station so the driver got a green aspect.  The story mentions braking after the station but not before.

As I have previously mentioned: SWT tell you "coaches 1,2 & 3  will go here......4, 5 & 6 will go there", having stuck labels all down the train saying "A, B, C............." etc ! 

err no they dont.  The signals just run through a cycle depending if a train is sceduled to come off the oxford branch or the next one is through from Didcot.  It is not unusual on a train stopping at Didcot to already have a green signal as they enter the platform.

 ???

An up train, perhaps, where the signal is right at the end of the platform. But for a down train there is no signal on the platform - it's round the bend towards Swindon out of sight.

No longer AFAICT, since they binned reservations in December...

Paul

One assumes the BBC was seriously lacking of news Wednesday night?!

Just been reported on the five live 2030 news bulletin

Are you having us on??

What was the BBC saying the other day about quality over quantity..!!

Nope was there!   Thats why I mentioned it! 

Actually - in the 3 years (or so) that I have been using the Temple Meads to Waterloo service (always on Advance tickets) I have never been given a seat reservation, only a general one for the train. That didn't stop them continuing to label the coaches though - BUT, I did note today that the Waterloo train was "letterless". To be honest, I hadn't noticed on the last couple of trips !

My main experience of HSTs at short platforms is West Wales, and at smaller stations there is often at least one carriage that is platformed but locked. In the case of unstaffed platforms, I get the impression that it's been done intentionally, not only as a margin of error (and in some cases there are less accessible stretches of platform) but also to reduce the numbers of doors that can be left open, particularly at smaller places where only a few people will be inconvenienced anyway. It also helps where there are curved platforms, bearing in mind that with SDO the TM will be unlocking from the end and not the middle - I get the impression that they're quite happy to open only 2 or 3 carriages at Narberth for example.

I'm reminded of a question that's been in the back of my mind for a couple of years! The Pembrokeshire halts are all equipped with 2+7/2+8 stop markers enabling HSTs to be stopped with Coach A platformed when H is leading, except in cases where there's an operational need to stop the front at a specific point. But there seems to be some inconsistency with up trains (i.e. coach H usually leading) - often they seem to ignore the stop markers and stop with H platformed, which at short platforms means only first class! Obviously this has to happen at Manorbier and Tenby for operational reasons, but at other stations it would be more useful to platform coach A. Can anyone suggest why they stop with H platformed so often? Consistency with the two special cases? (Which happens to be inconsistent with the Dock, where the country end will always be platformed for obvious reasons!)

They only unlock the front 3 at Torre IIRC despite the platform taking more (in the down direction) due to the curvature of the platform.

I think that might have been because reservations were only offered on the Waterloo - Exeter main route.  Last years summer timetable only shows the reservation diamond on the first up train, but only in the Exeter column, not the Bristol column, IYSWIM. But I imagine the whole train could have been given letters on its previous departure from Waterloo anyway, and they'd just stay in the door windows until they were next altered...

Paul